If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

Obama Is Essential To Passing the Economic Recovery Plan

Public support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress is modest, but the proposal is likely to pass for a very simple reason: Voters want to give President Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Overall, just 42% of voters support the plan and 39% are opposed. The lines have been drawn neatly along partisan and ideological lines. For liberals, it’s a spending opportunity they’ve dreamed of for a long time. For conservatives, it may seem like an ongoing nightmare after the enormous spending increases under a Republican president.

But the key to passage of the recovery plan lies not with the committed partisans, but with the 19% of voters who remain undecided about the plan.

The defining feature of these voters is that they like Obama—73% approve of the way Obama has handled the role of president so far. That figure includes 33% who Strongly Approve. Just 24% disapprove and only eight percent (8%) Strongly Disapprove. These voters may not be convinced about the plan itself, but they are willing to follow Obama’s lead.

Looked at from a different perspective, voters who Strongly Approve of Obama’s performance to date favor the economic recovery plan by an 81% to four percent (4%) margin. Those who Somewhat Approve are more evenly divided—32% favor the recovery plan, 31% oppose it, and 36% are not sure.

As for those who disapprove of the President’s performance, just four percent (4%) favor the recovery plan and 84% are opposed.

American voters generally view tax cuts as good for the economy, and Obama promised tax cuts for 95% of voters as a key part of his winning campaign last fall. By Election Day, voters thought they were more likely to get a tax cut from Obama than from his Republican opponent John McCain. That’s a stunning reversal of the traditional partisan perceptions. Obama’s willingness to keep tax cuts as a key part of the recovery plan is a way to honor his campaign commitment and provide underlying support for the legislation, even though his $350 billion for tax cuts has been whittled down to $275 billion by congressional Democrats who want more new spending.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection,
publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events
in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence,
we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions,
sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics
provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day.
If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a
daily update newsletter and various media outlets
across the country.